This is continuation of our interview with Universal Robina Corporation’s Vice President-Marketing Edwin Totanes on Launching and Defending New Products. In this second part, Mr. Totanes generously shares about lessons he learned from failures. For Part 1 of his interview, click here Q7: One of your early marketing assignments was as brand manager of Procter and Gamble for Crest. While […]

4

“Research results should be “used directionally” and not necessarily to be “followed directly” Edwin Totanes Q1: Congratulations on your winning the prestigious Agora Awards for marketing management from the Philippine Marketing Association last 2013. What do you consider are your biggest marketing achievements so far and why? I have selected 3 examples from my previous employment at a) Kraft Foods, Inc.; […]

Q1: What were the more successful tools or techniques you employed that drove customers to Marie France? Advertising is our mainstay and is a major driver for new trials. We closely monitor the statistics of responses versus the type of ads, here and internationally, and adjust to local trends, and often try to develop a trend. A successful ad slogan […]

Record-breaking, bestselling author Josiah Go is the Chairman of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. (the leading marketing and sales training company in the Philippines), and Chairman of Waters Philippines (the market leader in the direct selling of premium home water purifiers in the Philippines). He is Chairman / Vice Chairman / Director of over a dozen companies. Business Background Chairman of […]

In the Trust Economy, marketing is no longer just about promoting value, it’s about living it. As we introduced last Friday in the discussion on the Trust Economy Flywheel, today’s Filipino consumers and citizens are reevaluating what they expect from brands and institutions. This follow-up zooms in on one critical principle: Cultural Literacy (Principle #2). At stake is not just […]

Across Manila, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, one force is reshaping markets: public outrage, not just at corrupt politicians, but also at ‘nepo baby’ influencers, entrenched institutions, and once-untouchable brands. In today’s hyperconnected world, trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Lose it, and you lose customers. Scandals involving misused funds, political favoritism, and influencer complicity aren’t just headlines; they’re changing how Filipinos and […]

I never really planned to be a teacher. I was an accidental one. The late Prof. Manny Fernandez, one of the great minds of Philippine marketing, saw me giving a talk (I can’t even remember where), and he told me I should consider teaching. That moment quietly changed the course of my life. Teaching became a calling I didn’t see […]

Josiah Go features the movers and shakers of the business world and writes about marketing, strategy, innovation, execution and entrepreneurship

Archives